So much great stuff is in Level Up—free to use with your Library card—for people of all ages and skill levels. But how do you know how to match up your creative interests with the amazing equipment and software here waiting for you?

Level Up’s useful Resources page is what you want. We've scoured the web for the best free guides to digital creativity and posted them there for beginners, experts, and everybody in between (and don't forget collection of books and magazines in Level Up!).

There's something for every artist and performer on the Resources page, from advice on writing melodic and lyrical phrases to guidance on shooting and editing green screen video to links to free beautiful, high-quality stock photos for your next project (see examples below).

Other awesome examples:

Free Code Camp A great starting point for learning to code—and best of all, you help real non-profit organizations as you learn

Harvard's Introduction to Computer Science OpenCourseware designed for those with or without programming experience

Web Development & Design 101 Extensive guide to all things web creation

19 Free Tutorials for Learning Game Development An article featuring, well, nineteen lessons on different aspects of game design, like mobile development and art and design

And lastly, I just had to show you examples found among the free stock footage resources we recommend:

PHOTO: Ryan McGuire

Incredible, right?

The resources are out there for levelling up your production skills—in music, video, art, design, and more. Visit our Resources page to find them, use Level's Up's equipment and software to practice, and share your masterpiece with the world.

PHOTO: VISIT BLOOMINGTON

Let's talk about bikes. As a woman who proved her mettle cycling the streets of Tampa, Florida, I can confidently say biking is great in Bloomington—and we've got the certification to prove it. With over seventy miles of bike lanes and trails, Bloomington is recognized as a Gold-Level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. On top of all that, we have the organizations and resources that make cycling in Bloomington the best. Whether you're a daily commuter, a road bike warrior, or a mountain bike fiend, Bloomington has a little something for everyone.

Here are my highlights of what Bloomington has to offer.

PHOTO: BLOOMINGTON PARKS AND RECREATION

Bloomington's got some fantastic trails. First up: The B-Line (3.1 miles), which may just be the lifeblood of our city. Is there anything more "Bloomington" than the simple pleasure of riding your bike up the B-Line to the Farmers' Market on a Saturday morning, sipping coffee with your friends, visiting with your favorite growers, then pedaling home with a bounty of fresh fruits and veggies?

If you want to feel like you've gotten out of town—without actually leaving it—Bloomington Rail Trail (2 miles) and Clear Creek Trail are great choices. Ride down a beautiful wooded corridor past twinkling fireflies as the setting sun filters through the canopy above you, with glimpses of deer grazing in the fields—that's the Rail Trail in late summer. Clear Creek Trail offers wide-open views of wildflowers on grassy green pastures on one side, and the sound of the creek's gentle flow on the other.

The icing on the cake: all three of these trails connect. You can start on the B-Line, continue onto the Rail Trail, which drops you off on Clear Creek Trail —creating a 7.6-mile continuous path, just for pedestrians and cyclists. For details of all Bloomington's bike paths, check out the City's excellent pocket map for cyclists [PDF] online—or pick one up at the Downtown Library.

So we've got trails covered—now let’s talk cycling resources. The City of Bloomington has plenty of resources dedicated to helping you navigate Bloomington by bike. Ever wonder about the green "bike boxes" painted on the ground at intersections in town? The City's created a helpful guide on biking and pedestrian infrastructure to answer just that sort of question! Check out their webpage on biking in Bloomington for safety tips, event updates, and more.

Be sure to visit We Like Bikes! staff picks for more on bikes and the Library. And don't forget: Library Staff are always happy to help you find resources for bike enthusiasts—just ask.

PHOTO: CASSANDRA ORTON

If camaraderie with other cyclists is what you're after, Bloomington's got that too. The Bloomington Community Bike Project is a free cooperative space where anyone can learn basic bicycle maintenance. Their "Earn-A-Bike Program” even allows you to work toward building a bike of your own—at no charge. And the Bloomington Bicycle Club has a little something for everyone, including group rides that accommodate cyclists of different interest and abilities.

PHOTO: INDIANA PUBLIC MEDIA

Of course, no discussion of bikes would be complete without a nod to Bloomington's favorite bike race, the Little 500. It's the perfect event if you want to celebrate bicycles with others, without actually having to ride one. This year the famous race takes place on April 21st and 22nd. 

Cycling in Bloomington is fun, healthy, and good for the environment. Be sure to include the Library in your plans to hit the road on two wheels. Happy riding!

Stop Motion is a magic filming technique that makes inanimate objects look like they are moving all by themselves. All it takes is a simple iPad app and some playdough to make a Stop Motion masterpiece.

Kids at this month's Radical Fun program got creative with playdough and other materials in order to make their own Stop motion animation videos. It's so simple you can even make your own stop motion videos at home! If you've miss out on our previous Stop Motion blog post, click here for instructions on how to create your own Stop Motion animation. 

Check out some of the awesome Stop Motion videos our Radical Fun kids made on November 9th and November 17th!

"I would like for young people to know that each day of your life is a journey into history and that you are making that history. And you have the ability to change something each day of your life. Believe it or not, people, it can't happen without you." 

- Lynda Blackmon Lowery, interview on National Public Radio

Lynda Blackmon Lowery was the youngest person to walk with Martin Luther King, Jr., Congressman John Lewis and other civil rights activists who marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965 to demand that African Americans have the freedom to vote. She was 14 when the march began. She turned 15 on March 22, 1965, the second day of the four-day march, and was admittedly terrified of what harm might come to her and others as they proceeded toward the capital city governed by devout segregationist George Wallace. But she was also determined."Determination is a way of overcoming terror. So by the end of second day, I felt fine. I was ready."

Lowery's memoir is a powerful account of and tribute to the many young people who participated in the Civil Rights movement. Her personal experiences are followed with succinct explanation of the injustices many African Americans encountered when they attempted to vote in the 1960s and earlier, and the need for their voting rights to be legally delineated.

Her story does describe the violence she endured during some of the public demonstrations. But it is framed by the strength and courage she gained by joining her classmates and adults leading peaceful protests designed to overcome hate and racism. And it concludes in victory, as we celebrate this year the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, passed by Congress on August 6, 1965.

Says Lowery: "We were determined to do something and we did it. If you are determined, you can overcome your fears, and then you can change the world."

For additional stories and nonfiction books about the participation of young people in the Civil Rights Movement, see our Civil Rights Movement booklist. World Book Online, an informational resource available to Library cardholders for free through the Library website, includes a Timeline of the Civil Rights Movement. You can also find a display in the Children's area at the Downtown Library of images from the Civil Rights Movement to help prompt discussion about this time period and help inform children who may be attending the Power of Words presentation at the IU Auditorium September 21, where Congressman John Lewis will be speaking about his book March and the pivotal role he played in the Civil Rights Movement.